Malodorous breath has been a personal hygiene issue for many years. Food particles and other matter which linger in the area of the mucous membranes and between the teeth and gums contribute significantly to this odor problem. Another primary cause of bad odor are the emanaton of various sulfur compounds from the body. Sulfur is generated in the digestive tract as a result of the breakdown of various high-sulfur foods, and is released from the body through the mouth and pores of the individual. Certain food substances, such as garlic and onions, are notorious for generating the sulfur compounds which cause the foul odor. Garlic eaters typically note a considerable amount of belching and burping for several hours after consumption. As the garlic is digested in the abdominal tract, bursts of gas are generated, and with it comes a rather disagreeable smell. With each release of air from the stomach comes a noticeable amount of disagreeable smell as the garlic is dissolved in the digestive tract. Other substances such as tobacco and alcohol also affect a person's oral hygiene as these substances tend to linger around the mucous membranes inside the mouth.
Currently, much breath freshening technology provides freshening protection up to about 30 minutes or so in the mouth. Candies or mints are dissolved by the user to mask the odor of food, tobacco or medicine. Once the candy is fully dissolved, however, breath protection often drops off considerable. Within a few minutes, bad odor can again be perceived emanating from the mouth. Chewing gums have been utilized to afford longer range freshening, but typically the active breath protection ingredient is masticated away rather quickly from the gum.
Several substances have now established roles as breath fresheners in the chewing gum and confectionery industries. These include many metallic ions, as well as organic substances such as the oil derived from cardamon seeds. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,427 is directed to a cardamon seed preparation which is effective against bad breath. Mushroom extract as an active agent is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,470. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,214 a combination of zinc ions and ionone/ketone terpene derivatives is set forth. Terpene compounds are also set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,163. German Patent documents 3,610,179 and 3,733,742 are also directed to breath freshening formulations. Many of these substances concentrate their action in the stomach by neutralizing or masking foul-smelling sulfur compounds.
Unfortunately, many of the substances recognized as breath stabilizers are also relatively volatile and therefore present storage stability problems in such delivery mechanisms as chewing gum. In addition, many breath fresheners react quite readily with one another, thereby reducing their overall breath-freshening capacity rather quickly over time. It is this neutralization problem, as well as the aforesaid volatilization of the actives upon exposure to ambient conditions, that has heretofore inhibited the development of a truly long-lasting breath-protection gum product.
Certain references, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,549,917 and 5,556,652, are directed to formulations which seek to encapsulate certain ingredients for use in chewing gums. However, these references fail to suggest a number of encapsulations which would be particularly effective as breath fresheners. Moreover, there appears to be no teaching as to how the skilled artisan could combine rather disparate groups of breath freshening substances into a single chewing gum, while maintaining their effectiveness. In addition, these references evince little or no recognition of the enhanced effect certain encapsulations, as well as combinations thereof, can have on the breath freshening capability of a chewing gum composition.
What is therefore needed in the art is an improved chewing gum for breath freshening which affords the user both instant and long-range breath protection, even after the gum is removed from the mouth. Also needed are breath-freshening encapsulations which can be incorporated into gums, candies and mints etc. to afford enhanced breath protection from both the mouth and the stomach. Additionally, new formulations which can be incorporated in the aforesaid encapsulations are also needed for use in a breath-freshening gum product and other delivery vehicles.